Hendrick nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Trish, stop being so stubborn. What’s going on with you lately? You’ve been distant, always holding a grudge. The old Trish would never act like this.”
As we reached my bedroom, Zeke and Hendrick walked right in with Vivian, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Vivian hesitated, her voice cautious. “Is it okay for us to just walk into Trish’s room like this?”
Zeke shrugged, unconcerned. “It’s fine. She’s just throwing a little fit. No big deal.”
Vivian finally lifted her gaze, but when she saw my room,
her eyes s went wide.
My bedroom was easily larger than her entire home. There were two display cabinets filled with luxury items, and the limited–edition clothes scattered around were only a small part of it. Even the most ordinary ornament on my desk was worth more than her entire yearly salary.
Vivian’s teeth clenched in frustration. She could now clearly see that winning Zeke and Hendrick’s hearts was her only chance at climbing the social ladder.
Right then, her eyes landed on a hair clip sitting on the vanity, an extremely rare piece as it was entirely made of moonstone. She picked it up, marveling at the smooth, opalescent surface and the subtle, rich texture–it was clearly priceless.
I quickly raised my voice. “Put that down!”
Vivian jumped in surprise, letting go of the hair clip. It slipped from her hand and shattered into pieces as it hit
the floor.
The rest of us froze, our faces changing instantly.
Zeke and Hendrick rushed over in panic. “Vivian, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”
Vivian opened her hand, revealing a deep cut across her pain, likely from the moonstone hairpin
Zeke quickly took her hand in his, worry filling his voice as he shouted, “Where’s the first aid kit?”
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You obviously tried to scare Vivian. What’s your game, Trish? Vivian’s still young, and now she’s got a scar on her hand–how could you do that?”
Their accusations made me almost want to laugh.
They barged into my house, into my bedroom, and started touching my things without asking, yet now they were blaming me for the consequences. It was beyond ridiculous
They had no idea just how important that moonstone hair clip was to me.
“Trish! What are you standing there for? Go get the first aid kit! No matter what Vivian did to set you off, you should be focusing on her injury!”
Chapter 4
+25 BONUS
Vivian’s soft voice interrupted their frantic pleas. “Don’t blame Trish; it was my fault. I wasn’t careful… I shouldn’t have touched it.”
I spoke coldly, my eyes fixed on her, “It’s true, Vivian. It was your fault. Do you have any idea how valuable the moonstone hair clip you just broke was?”
That hair clip was a gift from Edmond, a token of his love for me. Coming from a well–off family, there wasn’t much that could make me feel so attached, except for that hair clip.
When Edmond found out how much I loved it, he went to an auction in Priergh and spent 30 million to buy it for
- me.
At that price, not just Vivian, but even the Bensons and the Peays combined wouldn’t be able to afford it.
Zeke glared at me. “Trish! Seriously? Why are you talking about money now? Fine, I’ll buy you a new hair clip! Stop making Vivian feel so guilty!”
“Well, that’s great!” I said quickly, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “This moonstone hair clip was bought at an auction in Priergh for 30 million–so which one of you is going to pay for it?”
Hendrick looked at me, speechless. “No way! How could a hair clip be worth that much?”
I spéered, “It’s Edmond Hardy’s gift to me, signifying his love. Of course it’s worth that much.”
